School Boards Orange County

The school board Thursday backed off a proposal that called for it to approve applications for grant money. However, the board reached a compromise, which will keep members informed when district staff applies for a grant. Board President Michael Verrengia had proposed that trustees provide more oversight of grant applications, in part because he is skeptical of some funds that come with conditions, he said. Verrengia suggested that the board approve applications before they are mailed.

One of Orange County's foremost critics of bilingual education has resigned as trustee of an Anaheim elementary school district after legal experts advised that he probably would lose a battle to sit on two school boards at once. The resignation of Harald G. Martin from the Board of Education of the Anaheim City School District was a victory for a prominent Latino rights activist who had accused Martin of having a conflict of interest.

Trustees on three school boards in Fullerton and La Habra, at separate meetings this week, chose new presidents, vice presidents and clerks for next year. Robert A. Singer was named president and Barbara R. Kilponen will be clerk of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, which governs the secondary schools in Fullerton, La Habra and Buena Park.

Not only did Capistrano Unified School District trustee Mildred Daley Pagelow survive a massive heart attack Oct. 12, she only missed one board meeting before returning to the dais Monday. Pagelow, 71, said she was feeling better and that friends drove her to the meeting because she is not supposed to drive yet. The former sociology professor said she hurried back because she didn't want to disappoint those who helped her get reelected last year.

Robert J. Whalen, an attorney and community activist, has been selected to fill a slot on the board of the Laguna Beach Unified School District that was recently vacated by Karen Linden. Whalen, 43, is president of the Laguna Beach Little League and the Orange County Bar Foundation, and past president of SchoolPower, a group that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the fiscally strapped district. "He's highly respected in our community," school board President Susan Mas said.

School board trustees Tom Chaffee and Rosemarie Avila want to teach children American values, reform bilingual education and keep the federal government off their backs. Wish them luck. While the two conservatives may be in lock-step with the nation's conservative political tide, they are the so-called minority members of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education, and often are viewed by colleagues, school officials and residents as the school board rebels.

Just days before Orange Unified School District board members prepare to hand out high school diplomas, a contentious contract dispute with the graduates' teachers is reaching critical mass and heading to the state. District trustees again huddled with their negotiators in a closed session Tuesday night. A new item on their agenda was a complaint that the teachers union, the Orange Unified Education Assn., filed with the Public Employee Relations Board in Sacramento on Monday.

A Yorba Linda school trustee pops onto a campus to give teachers an unsolicited lecture on the importance of phonics instruction. Another "back-to-basics" crusader in Anaheim seeks to scuttle state-mandated bilingual education. Two more trustees of an Orange County education agency in Costa Mesa skewer a federal career program championed by President Clinton and a broad front of county business and school leaders.

Not only did Capistrano Unified School District trustee Mildred Daley Pagelow survive a massive heart attack Oct. 12, she only missed one board meeting before returning to the dais Monday. Pagelow, 71, said she was feeling better and that friends drove her to the meeting because she is not supposed to drive yet. The former sociology professor said she hurried back because she didn't want to disappoint those who helped her get reelected last year.

The Coast Community College District Board of Trustees elected Nancy A. Pollard as president of the board for 1992. Pollard, a lawyer, will be president through December. She was first elected to the board in 1983 and was its president in 1986. The board also: * Elected Armando R. Ruiz as vice president for this year. Ruiz, a counselor at Saddleback College, has been on the board since 1983 and has been its vice president three times. * Appointed Paul G.

Robert J. Whalen, an attorney and community activist, has been selected to fill a slot on the board of the Laguna Beach Unified School District that was recently vacated by Karen Linden. Whalen, 43, is president of the Laguna Beach Little League and the Orange County Bar Foundation, and past president of SchoolPower, a group that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the fiscally strapped district. "He's highly respected in our community," school board President Susan Mas said.

Just days before Orange Unified School District board members prepare to hand out high school diplomas, a contentious contract dispute with the graduates' teachers is reaching critical mass and heading to the state. District trustees again huddled with their negotiators in a closed session Tuesday night. A new item on their agenda was a complaint that the teachers union, the Orange Unified Education Assn., filed with the Public Employee Relations Board in Sacramento on Monday.

A Yorba Linda school trustee pops onto a campus to give teachers an unsolicited lecture on the importance of phonics instruction. Another "back-to-basics" crusader in Anaheim seeks to scuttle state-mandated bilingual education. Two more trustees of an Orange County education agency in Costa Mesa skewer a federal career program championed by President Clinton and a broad front of county business and school leaders.

The school board Thursday backed off a proposal that called for it to approve applications for grant money. However, the board reached a compromise, which will keep members informed when district staff applies for a grant. Board President Michael Verrengia had proposed that trustees provide more oversight of grant applications, in part because he is skeptical of some funds that come with conditions, he said. Verrengia suggested that the board approve applications before they are mailed.

Trustees Sheila J. Benecke, Marlene Draper, Peter J. Espinosa and Mildred Daley Pagelow have taken the oath of office after being reelected to the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees. The four join Dorsey Brause, Paul B. Haseman and Crystal Kochendorfer on the seven-member board. The board also chose new officers for 1997. Espinosa was elected president; Kochendorfer, vice president; and Haseman, clerk.

Trustees on three school boards in Fullerton and La Habra, at separate meetings this week, chose new presidents, vice presidents and clerks for next year. Robert A. Singer was named president and Barbara R. Kilponen will be clerk of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, which governs the secondary schools in Fullerton, La Habra and Buena Park.

Trustees Sheila J. Benecke, Marlene Draper, Peter J. Espinosa and Mildred Daley Pagelow have taken the oath of office after being reelected to the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees. The four join Dorsey Brause, Paul B. Haseman and Crystal Kochendorfer on the seven-member board. The board also chose new officers for 1997. Espinosa was elected president; Kochendorfer, vice president; and Haseman, clerk.

One of Orange County's foremost critics of bilingual education has resigned as trustee of an Anaheim elementary school district after legal experts advised that he probably would lose a battle to sit on two school boards at once. The resignation of Harald G. Martin from the Board of Education of the Anaheim City School District was a victory for a prominent Latino rights activist who had accused Martin of having a conflict of interest.

School board trustees Tom Chaffee and Rosemarie Avila want to teach children American values, reform bilingual education and keep the federal government off their backs. Wish them luck. While the two conservatives may be in lock-step with the nation's conservative political tide, they are the so-called minority members of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education, and often are viewed by colleagues, school officials and residents as the school board rebels.

The Coast Community College District Board of Trustees elected Nancy A. Pollard as president of the board for 1992. Pollard, a lawyer, will be president through December. She was first elected to the board in 1983 and was its president in 1986. The board also: * Elected Armando R. Ruiz as vice president for this year. Ruiz, a counselor at Saddleback College, has been on the board since 1983 and has been its vice president three times. * Appointed Paul G.